After two seasons of battling injuries, Lewis had a healthy senior campaign, establishing himself as one of the most physical cornerbacks in the West. His work ethic and team-first attitude saw him perform at a level that has professional scouts feeling that he will quickly emerge as one of the National Football League's elite pass defenders.

Lewis not only excelled on the football field, but also received recognition for his success in the classroom, earning Academic All-Pac 10 Conference honors as a senior. That undoubtedly pleased his mother, Muriel, a teacher at Martin Behrman Elementary School.

Lewis, along with teammate Dennis Christopher, was recruited to Oregon State by former Beavers assistant and New Orleans native Charlie Camp. His family was displaced to Natchitoches for six months because of Hurricane Katrina. Their home sustained significant wind damage but fortunately did not flood in the storm, he said. Still, Lewis said he'd like nothing more than to be in a position to support his family one day.

"I definitely want to help my mom out," he said. "That would be a dream. But to have an opportunity to play for any team and just make it (in the NFL), that's what I'm trying to accomplish right now."

And while he loved his days at Oregon State, Lewis said he hopes his professional playing career will prove less geographically challenging for his family and friends. "I definitely hope that one day I'll be able to come back and play for New Orleans," said Lewis, who interviewed with Saints scouts at the NFL Combine. "I hope they bring me home."

At O. Perry Walker High School, Lewis was rated as one of the top 100 cornerback prospects in the country by Rivals.com. The first-team All-Metro and All-League choice as a senior, he made 75 tackles with four sacks and seven interceptions. He also returned five punts for 180 yards and five kickoffs for 150 yards in 2003.

His best prep game was against L.B. Landry High, when he produced 12 tackles, intercepted a pass, forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble, and returned a punt 55 yards. The three-year starter registered 71 tackles with two interceptions as a junior and posted 54 tackles as a sophomore. He also graduated with academic honors, attaining a 3.27 grade point average.

"Keenan is one of those Cinderellas," said Terry Wilson, Lewis' former head coach at Walker High. "I always knew Keenan was going to be good at whatever he chose to do because he always worked hard. He's always had a strong work ethic. He was just a pleasure to coach."

Lewis decided to bypass numerous scholarship offers to enroll at Oregon State in 2004, stating that he selected the university because, "OSU is strong academically and it will allow me an opportunity to play football in the best conference." He redshirted his first season with the Beavers, but was named Freshman All-American and second-team All-Pac Ten Conference in 2005, starting all 11 games at left cornerback. He added Academic All-Pac 10 honors and posted 45 tackles (25 solos) with two stops for loss and 11 pass deflections.

The Exercise and Sport Science major was again named to the Academic All-Pac 10 squad as a sophomore. He started 13 of 14 games, manning the left cornerback position, as he broke up eight passes. He also collected 22 tackles (17 solos) with one sack and two stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Lewis saw his playing time decrease by midseason after taking a helmet to his knee vs. Arizona. He would start 11 games in 2007, but had problems running because of the injury, which forced him out of the lineup for two contests. He did intercept three passes, leading the team in that category, but he had just two pass breakups and a career-low 15 tackles (12 solos).

In 2008, he achieved Academic All-Pac 10 status for the fourth time in his career. The team's active leader for starts with 48, he returned to his freshman form, delivering 35 tackles (27 solos) and a stop for a loss. He also batted down nine passes while picking off four others, including one that he returned for a touchdown.

High School

Attended O. Perry Walker (New Orleans, La.) High School, playing football for head coach Terry Wilson...Rated as one of the top 100 cornerback prospects in the country by Rivals.com...First-team All-Metro and All-League choice as a senior...Made 75 tackles with four sacks and seven interceptions, as he also returned five punts for 180 yards and five kickoffs for 150 yards in 2003...His best prep game was against L.B. Landry High, when he produced 12 tackles, intercepted a pass, forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble and returned a punt 55 yards...The three-year starter registered 71 tackles with two interceptions as a junior and posted 54 tackles as a sophomore...Graduated with academic honors, attaining a 3.27 grade point average...O. Perry Walker High teammates Burnell Wallace and Dennis Christopher are teammates of his at Oregon State, and Craig Davis and Dominique Cooper were student-athletes at Louisiana State.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.

KeiselPower99

04-26-2009, 11:03 AM

Welcome aboard!!!

IamTheSteelGod

04-26-2009, 11:06 AM

Six footer hey! Nice.

Dr. Steel

04-26-2009, 11:08 AM

Looks like the only that held him back some in college was injuries. I like the fact he is physical. A corner must be physical and help in the run game to play for the Steelers. Coach Tomlin and Coach LeBeau know DB's. I think both can mold Lewis into a player for this team. I like the pick and the Steelers draft overall.

IamTheSteelGod

04-26-2009, 11:12 AM

Hummmm... NFL.COM "Generally a reliable open-field tackler, but likes to duck his head and swipe, leading to some missed tackles. ... Can get a bit grabby downfield, which will lead to pass interference calls at the next level. ... Willing in run support, but was protected by a physical and experienced front seven, and prefers to stand around the pile, rather than throw his body into it."

GridironWarrior

04-26-2009, 11:13 AM

Oregon State played a lot of man coverage and he did pretty well. He's also pretty good in zone. Good pick.

mesaSteeler

04-26-2009, 11:14 AM

Rated 21st best by ProFootball Weekly

21. 6 Keenan Lewis Oregon State 5.30 6007 208 4.52 S

mesaSteeler

04-26-2009, 11:16 AM

ESPN Analysis

Pittsburgh Keenan Lewis CB Oregon State

You could make the argument that Lewis is a better fit at corner because he lacks ideal fluidity getting in and out of cuts.

However, we feel that he has a chance to be an excellent press corner. He plays with an edge he can deliver a violent initial punch and he does a good job opening his hips when forced to turn and run. He also hasd adequate speed.

mesaSteeler

04-26-2009, 11:19 AM

NFL Combine Analysis

Positives: Rare height for the position. ... Aggressive at the line of scrimmage. ... At his best in press coverage where he can get his long arms on the receiver and disrupt the timing of the passing game. ... Good foot quickness to turn and run with the receiver. ... Plants, drives and closes quickly. ... Gets his hands on lot of passes. ... Has the experience and intelligence to operate well in zone coverage. ... Enjoyed a solid week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

Negatives: Questionable deep speed. ... Lacks the soft hands for the interception. ... Misjudges passes and allows too many to get into his chest. ... Generally a reliable open-field tackler, but likes to duck his head and swipe, leading to some missed tackles. ... Can get a bit grabby downfield, which will lead to pass interference calls at the next level. ... Willing in run support, but was protected by a physical and experienced front seven, and prefers to stand around the pile, rather than throw his body into it.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.

Dr. Steel

04-26-2009, 11:19 AM

McFadden didn't have a great 40 time either and he was effective corner for us. I think this is perfect type of DB for Coach Tomlin to coach up.

mesaSteeler

04-26-2009, 11:28 AM

NFL Network Analysis

Pick Analysis:Lewis made 48 starts in college. I've heard he's had some troubles with his tackling, but he's a solid press corner. He made a name for himself at the Senior Bowl.

El-Gonzo Jackson

04-26-2009, 11:29 AM

Here is a good article from Lewis back at Senior Bowl. I started becoming a big fan of him then!!

MOBILE, ALA. -- As he exited the field at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Keenan Lewis floated like smoke through the army of scouts, coaches and autograph seekers that gather daily in the east end zone.

With its battery of tests, interviews and the ever-present on-field evaluations, Senior Bowl week is a grueling, pressure-packed experience for the 100 or so NFL draft prospects. But you'd never know it by watching Lewis.

The Oregon State cornerback and former standout at O. Perry Walker appears to be having the time of his life, despite the high stakes.

"This has been a great experience," Lewis said. "I think I'm showing here that I can compete with the top guys out there."

The Senior Bowl is only the start of a four-month-long draft journey for Lewis and his fellow prospects. He'll still have to perform at his pro-day workout and at the NFL Scouting Combine. There are dozens of interviews yet to be conducted, and he'll have to make the right impression during his time with the teams.

Lewis is off to a solid start. He's played well enough this week to at least maintain his current draft stock, which has him projected as a third-round pick.

Most scouting services rank him among the top 15 cornerbacks and top 100 players in the draft.

He's the biggest of the nine cornerbacks at the Senior Bowl. Standing a shade under 6 feet 1 and weighing a solid 198 pounds, he's built more like a safety than a cornerback. His arm length of 32¤3/4 inches was by far the longest at his position.

"He's got good size and can run with wide receivers, and those are things you can't teach," Cincinnati Bengals defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle, who is coaching the position for the North team. "Oregon State was a big press bump-and-run coverage team, so there's a learning curve here for him, but Keenan has shown that he's a quick and willing learner. He's very conscientious and wants to do well."

Lewis, like many of his teammates, was curious to know how he was performing this week.

"What have you heard?" he asked a reporter after Thursday's practice. "How do you think I've been doing?"

Lewis wasn't doing much of anything Thursday. Dressed in a navy blue Senior Bowl sweat suit, he watched the workout from the sideline after injuring a groin in practice Wednesday. He said he still expects to play in the game Saturday.

That's good news, because 60 friends and family members plan to make the two-hour drive here to support him during the nationally televised event.

"I'm definitely going to have a lot of people at the game," he said. "Since I'm so far away in Oregon, it's nice to have a lot of people be able to come and see me play."

Lewis, along with teammate Dennis Christopher, was recruited to Oregon State by former Beavers assistant and New Orleans native Charlie Camp.

He redshirted, then started all 11 games as a freshman. He led the Beavers in interceptions as a junior with three and as a senior with four. He started a team-high 47 games in his career and participated in four bowl victories, including a 3-0 win against Pittsburgh in this season's Sun Bowl. Lewis also was a member of the Pacific 10 All-Academic team, which undoubtedly pleased his mother, Muriel, a teacher at Martin Behrman Elementary School.

"Keenan is one of those Cinderellas," said Terry Wilson, Lewis' former coach at Walker. "I always knew Keenan was going to be good at whatever he chose to do because he always worked hard. He's always had a strong work ethic. He was just a pleasure to coach."

His family was displaced to Natchitoches for six months because of Hurricane Katrina. Their home sustained significant wind damage but fortunately did not flood in the storm, he said. Still, Lewis said he'd like nothing more than to be in a position to support his family one day.

"I definitely want to help my mom out," he said. "That would be a dream. But to have an opportunity to play for any team and just make it (in the NFL), that's what I'm trying to accomplish right now."

And while he loved his days at Oregon State, Lewis said he hopes his professional playing career will prove less geographically challenging for his family and friends.

"I definitely hope that one day I'll be able to come back and play for New Orleans," said Lewis, who interviewed with Saints scouts Wednesday. "I hope they bring me home."